Carriers

If learning that the Thunderbolt will finally be dropping on March 17 just wasn't enough for you HTC fans, some more exciting news is making its way around the web today. Rumors of a dual-core HTC device, codenamed the Pyramid, have been around since the beginning of February. Now, thanks to XDA.cn, we have some images to go with the rumors.

The site does mention some of the specs on this bad boy, like a 4.3" 540 x 960 qHD display, a 1.2GHz processor, 768MB of RAM, an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front, but it seems like some other things have gotten lost in translation.

Now that there is finally a firm release date for the HTC Thunderbolt (Thursday, March 17, in case you have been in a cave), we thought it would be fun to take a little poll to see just how many of you are willing to forgive the frustration you were put through by all of the delays, or if you have already moved on?

If you aren't already chained to a smartphone contract perhaps this is a good time to get your feet wet and buy the HTC EVO Shift 4G slider from RadioShack for the low price of $69.99. You will of course also have to sign up for a two-year contract with Sprint.

The slider phone has been available from Sprint for $150 since its launch, with occasional discounts popping up, however this deal from RadioShack appears to be the lowest yet.

Take a deep breath - it's really starting to look like the Thunderbolt saga is approaching the end. Verizon's first 4G LTE device has been through a rollercoaster of predictions, disappointments, and broken promises (over and over), but the latest confirmed date of March 17th we told you about earlier is indeed proving to be legitimate.

The reincarnation of the Sidekick brand didn't quite come as a complete surprise after T-Mobile teased its return back in January, followed by a nice photo leak that showed the latest thumb-killer, this time made by Samsung, in its full glory. However, it's always nice to get official confirmations and specs from the carrier itself, and that's exactly what T-Mobile is gracing us with today.

They say "talk is cheap" - and these days it seems like every major US wireless carrier is claiming to have the fastest 4G (of course 4G is a highly debatable marketing term that describes three vastly different networks, but that's fodder for another post altogether). It's relatively easy to tune all of the marketing hype out but, when presented with some solid numbers, it gets easier to pay attention. PC World has tried to give us some raw data to work with in their profiling of the data speeds on the four major providers.

We have learned from a number of trusted sources that the much-anticipated HTC Thunderbolt will launch this Thursday, March 17. We have also learned that online retailer Wirefly will be offering pre-orders starting at midnight (PST) tonight. The site's Thunderbolt page has not yet been updated to reflect this, but they announced it via their Facebook page. Verizon's first LTE smartphone lists for $249.99, but Wirefly is promising a "special price" for their customers.

Sprint's just announced that the upcoming Kyocera Echo will be released on April 17 and will sell for $199 (on a two-year contract, of course). Customers will be able to reserve the dual-screen flippity doo starting March 26.

The novelty phone sports two displays, each 3.5" with a resolution of 800x480. It has a 1GHz single-core Snapdragon processor and will run Android 2.2 Froyo at launch. While innovative designs are always welcome, an overhyped unveiling (featuring illusionist David Blaine) and ho-hum specs have led some to ridicule Kyocera's latest Android device long before its release date was announced.

Remember that new version of Flash we reported on this morning? Yeah, well it's still scheduled to roll out on March 18th - one week from today - but thanks to BBCrackmanfrom My Droid World, you can download a leaked copy of version 10.2 now.

Just as promised, it (finally) includes support for Honeycomb, meaning you can now watch South Park, Conan, or any other Flash video on your XOOM.